Rebounding toy balloon



(No Model.)

H. B. MEAD. REBOUNDING TOY BALLOON.

Patented Mar. 22, 1898.

UNITED STATES ATENT 'FFICE.

HENRY BURNHAM MEAD, OF SCOTLAND, CONNECTICUT.

REBOUNDING TOY BALLOON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,967, dated March 22, 1898. Application filed May 28, 1897- Serial No. 638,517. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,HENRY BURNHAM MEAD,

a citizen of the United States of America, re-- siding at Scotland, in the county of Wind ham and State of Connecticut, have invented time securely closing the mouth of the balloon, it being almost beyond the power of one person, much less of a child, to accomplish this alone; also, being held in the hand only by a common string or slender stick they could in this way be made to furnish only a very limited amount of pleasure to the child.

The nature of my improvement consists, first, in providing and combining with the ordinary toy or gas balloon and the inflatingtube an elastic cord or band for automatic ally closing the mouth of the balloon when inflated, so that any child can readily inflate and securely close the mouth of the balloon, and also release the air or gas at pleasure without injury to the balloon; second, also in providing and combining with an ordinary toy balloon having a string or elastic cord attached for a handle an elastic cord for closing the mouth of the balloon when inflated, so that any child can readily inflate and prepare his balloon without assistance and use it either to carryor rebound at pleasure, being able to inflate or collapse the balloon without difficulty.

As forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view of an ordinary rubber toy balloon with its neck drawn upon the end of any small tube or pipe and fastened with an elastic cord wound tightly about the neck, having also an elastic cord inserted in the tube and extending into the balloon ready for inflation. Fig. 2 is thesame with this difference: The rubber cord is fastened tightly around the neckof the balloon instead of being inserted in the tube ready also for inflation. Fig. 3 is a side View of the balloon inflated and slipped from the tube and attached to the extended rubber or elastic cord ready for use. Fig. 4 is a side View of the same when held in the hand and operating as a rebounding toy balloon, illustrating my improvement as completed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In Fig. 1, A is'an ordinary uninflated rubber toy balloon with the mouth drawn over the end of any small tube or pipe at 0, around which at C an elastic cord or band is tightly wound and fastened.

B is a rubber or elastic cord inserted in the tube or pipe and extending through it into the balloon, which now may be inflated by blowing through the, tube or by forcing in gas. After inflation the rubber cord or band at C easily permits the balloon to be slipped from the tube, and it is left inflated, as in Fig. 3, ready for use.

Any ordinary string may be usedfor closto the balloon and so interfere with its re- I peated use in the same way.

In Fig. 2 the balloon A is made ready for inflation, as in Fig. 1, with this'difference, that the elastic cord B is fastened around or to the outside of the neck of the balloon instead of being within it. Either wayis equally possible and included in my invention; but the method in Fig. 1 is preferred as less liable to wear the rubber cord to the point of breaking.

In Fig. 4 the free end of the elastic cord is held in the hand or attached to any finger with or without a ring, and when thus held a slight easy motion of the hand sends the balloon rapidly rebounding from the hand to the utmost stretch of the elastic cord and in any desired direction, furnishing thus by its Varied rapid flashing motions a complete and entirely new toy of tenfold the worth and amusement of the ordinary toy balloon.

I do not limit myself to any length, strength, or kind of elastic cord or to any size or form or kind of toy balloon or to any method of applying or attaching the rubber or elastic cord to the balloon, but reserve the right to make such, modifications and changes of method as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having described my invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a toy or gas balloon, a tube for its inflation, and an elastic cord Wound around the neck of the balloon under a tension sufficient to automatically and securely seal or close the mouth of the balloon upon the withdrawal of the tube but insufficient to prevent the expansion of said neck for the reinsertion of the tube.

2. The combination with a toy or gas balloon having a cord attached as a handle, of an inflating-tube, and an elastic band or cord around the neck of said balloon under a tension sufficient to automatically and securely seal or close the mouth of the balloon upon the Withdrawal of the tube but insuflicient to HENRY BURNIIAM MEAD.

Vitnesses:

DANL. T. BROMLEY, JOHN B. BACON. 

